I would like to build an elevated (raised) garden atop a wooden, slatted patio table that is 5 ft x 3 ft. None of the raised garden kits I have seen online are the right size so I will likely be building my own. I will be planting herbs and veggies that can grow in shallow soil so I'm thinking probably 6" deep. Any advice on building this thing and what to line the bottom with so that the soil doesn't slip between the slats (1.5" slats)? Thanks.
DIY Elevated Garden
nooz812: I would call a lumber yard and buy some cypress or cedar wood, I am planning on building above ground beds myself and want them rather deep, as I'm contemplating planting raspberry, blackberry and blueberry bushes in them. Gardener's supply has some; but they are to pricey for my budget and also aren't as deep as I'd like to have them. I called a lumber yard today to get prices on cypress as they don't have cedar and priced the 2 x 8's and 2 x 12's and 2 x 10's. Those would be pretty wide, I would think. Cypress and Cedar are good woods to use as they don't rot, and they don't leach into the soil.
joy
There's another thread that talks about a "salad table". It is a box of 2 x 6 lumber, with a cross-brace in the middle. It has a layer of galvanized window screen, then a layer of galvanized hardware cloth (large screen) supporting that. The window screen supports the potting mix and provides drainage, while the hardware cloth supports the weight of the soil. Both are stapled around the edges and across the support. With your slatted table this would work really well. You could probably just build the frame and omit the cross brace.
I couldn't find the thread referencing this, but here is a link to the University of Maryland publication that describes how to build a salad table. You could easily modify for something to fit the top of you existing slat table.
http://www.hgic.umd.edu/content/documents/HG601SaladTables_SaladBoxes.pdf
David
This message was edited Mar 5, 2011 10:30 PM
Like that link, David.
This is late, as I just found this thread, but I saw something else that I thought was pretty cool. It was one of those big wooden cable spools with a 5' kiddie pool with drainage holes sitting on top. Something else that would probably work would be a round PVC table with a 3' kiddie pool on top. I'd guess it would need a little support in the center. No building required.
David: That's exactly what I was talking about, thanks so much for those directions, now the bunnies can eat their hearts out, as the salad is mine, not for them> LOL
Msrobin: Your idea sounds great too, do you have a link for that idea?
joy
Joy, I'm still looking for a link for you. It was just simply one of the kiddie pools like in the link below sitting on top of one of those big wooden spools. I think an old round table would work just as well with an additional leg cut for the center of the table.
This link was pretty interesting. http://www.cityfarmer.info/2008/05/26/rocket-science-%e2%80%93-an-edible-rooftop-garden-in-portland/
I use the black plastic trays that plants come in, the ones without dividers. I fill them will potting soil and some water crystals, and plant 4 of them through the winter in my little greenhouse. They are great for lettuce and spinach, maybe 3 inches of soil.
I wanted to build some raised beds some time ago and balked at the price of cypress or cedar at our local lumber yard. I ended up getting standard pine 2x8's and painting them with a wood preservative (can't remember the name but it was whitish and did not have any nasty metallic salts in it). Three years down the line and they are holding up quite well.
Treated dimensional lumber no longer contains poisonous chemicals and so supposedly would be ok to use in raised beds according to several web sites. There are others who say they would not, but you could spray the insides with plastic or paint or use the kiddie pool msrobin mentioned so the dirt does not contact the wood. Rubber pool lining which can be purchased in sheets from pool suppliers or warehouse stores is another possibility.
Another thread mentioned a gardener who attached gutters to the side of a house or fence. Has enough soil for lettuce, and is at a convenient height.
I made 23" high raised beds out of factory second garage door panels. They were given to me free, but can usually be purchased for a small fee at the manufacturer. I covered the underside with hardware cloth to keep out the critters, and filled the bottom about three inches of pea gravel first for drainage. Insulated panels keep beds warmer. The panels are easily sawed to any size desired. Use lag bolts and fender washers. I bought a piece of greenhouse plastic and made a cover for winter, which did not do as well as a I hoped. Still working on that...but it made a great starter bed. Bad diagram, but short ends bolted to 2x4 and inset 3.5in.to allow long pieces to be bolted to the 4x4. I used cable and tensioners along the lgnth.
4x4
▓▓_________________
│_ _____________________ 12' Long Old garage door panel
▓│ │
│ │ 3' Cut piece of garage door panel
2x4
This message was edited Apr 28, 2011 12:28 PM
KimDana, I'm a visual learner, can you take pictures? thanks!
Sorry, camera-handicapped! Teenager took pics in the rain!!
Check this out...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1175894/
Great ideas everyone and yes, I can use some of this for my inspiration on something I had in mind for my lettuce, up high where the bunnies can't get to, tada!
joy